Arrow Video Preparing Deranged and Squirm Blu-ray Releases
Posted February 11, 2013 07:15 PM by Webmaster
Independent British distributors Arrow Video have revealed that they are planning to bring to Blu-ray two cult horror films: Alan Ormsby's Deranged (1974), starring Roberts Blossom, Cosette Lee, and Leslie Carlson, and Jeff Lieberman's Squirm (1976), starring Don Scardino, Patricia Pearcy, and R.A. Dow. Both are expected to arrive on the market later this year.
Ezra's good at making friends... into home furnishings! Based on the same terrifying true story that inspired Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs, this hauntingly scary film chronicles the grisly exploits of a rural necrophilliac and murderer! Brace yourself for a "solid horror story" (Variety) that's guaranteed to make you bite your nails... because if you don't, Ezra will.
When a powerful storm knocks Fly Creek, Georgia's power lines down onto wet soil, the resulting surge of electricity drives large, bloodthirsty worms to the surface-and then out of their soil-tilling minds! Soon, the townspeople discover that their sleepy fishing village is overrun with worms that burrow right into their skin! Inundated by hundreds of thousands of carnivorous creatures, the terrorized locals race to find the cause of the rampage-before becoming tilled under themselves!
As a Georgia native, I have a soft spot in my heart for SQUIRM. It's actually a lot better than one would assume.
One thing: will a region free bluray that is PAL still play on a regular PS3? I'm really wanting to dive into some of Arrow's recent releases but I don't want to waste my money.
Its my understanding (and I could be wrong) that Arrow no longer releases region-free titles (their recent release of the region-B locked Zombie Flesh Eaters was the reason I sprung for a region-free BD player).
PAL (and NTSC) denotes standard definition. Naturally, a Blu-ray (which denotes high-deifnition) cannot be PAL. PAL and NTSC were applicable only for DVD and VHS.
With Blu-ray some supplemental features could be included and encoded in PAL or NTSC, or 1080/50i, etc. However:
PAL/NSTC and Blu-ray mutually exclude each other (because something cannot be standard definition and high-definition at the same time). Blu-ray is a high-definition format and therefore it cannot be PAL. DVD is a standard definition format and therefore could be either PAL or NTSC.
Now, if you only have a Region-A Blu-ray player, or PS3, what you need to know to be sure that the Blu-ray is playable in North America (U.S. or Canada) is this:
Whether the Blu-ray is Region-Free. If it is, and it is not encoded in 1080/50i (this is a standard which the overwhelming majority of regular Region-A players cannot handle, and Arrow's releases never use 1080/50i content) then you will be able to play the Blu-ray in your Region-A player/PS3.
@sumo8675309 The last UK release of Deranged back in '98 had that scene intact, but cut 18 seconds from the naked victim hanging upside down scene. Hopefully though it will get passed uncut this time round.
@sum8675309 @mrdario64 - i do hope Deranged is resubmitted to the BBFC and passes fully uncut. I've got the mgmg dvd form a few years back -missing that scoop scene. I'd be nice for the high definition debut to be uncut.
@DaleDark...if you don't mind me asking, where did you purchase your region free blu-ray player? I've been to a lot of electronic stores lately and they're quite expensive or they just don't sell them.
@24lakers: I got mine off amazon.com (I know BB's Insignia brand had a region-all player, but from what I understand, it wasn't ment to be and they no longer make one).
@pro-b: If memory serves, weren't there some playback issues (on the PS3, iirc) with certain region free titles that had standard def content before the menu screen?
"Deranged" is such an overlooked gem. Has all the grit and realism of "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" but with bits of dark-as-night humor. Looking forward to it. Wonder what the final cover art will look like.
